Claws, Guns, and Robots
by ShyTurtleLady
Summary: In the new war against Gray Mann, Miss Pauling finds and recruits a new member to join the RED-BLU team she has already assembled. But will this new class have what it takes be able to help them end Gray Mann and his robotic legions once and for all?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Enlisted

Greetings!

This is the very first fanfic I have ever made and I am so excited to put this out!

I apologize firsthand for any sort of mistake you come across and would be more than happy to receive any sort of constructive criticism!

Please enjoy

Inspired by Denkikoneko's Story of the Tenth Class

—

Kat entered the apartment complex, keys jingling as she retrieved them from her purse.

"Miss Fendy," called an accented voice, "there is an envelope here for you!"

Mrs. Rosalin offered the young woman her package, greeting her with a warm smile.

"Signed up for any job interviews, my dear? Perhaps you can finally live doing a job that isn't cleaning up a bunch of animal dung or serving coffee to people who just come for the internet connection!"

"No, haven't looked for anything else recently," Kat laughed. "And besides, the animals are adorable and I'm okay if people only come for the free wi-fi — gives me a chance to read my books."

Kat approached the small, elderly woman and received the mail, bending down to give her a quick hug and a hasty "thanks!" before sprinting up the stairs to her apartment.

Already excitedly tearing open the neat, white envelope, Kat withdrew the folded-over paper and began reading it quietly to herself.

'Need a job? Join our team of specialists for good pay!'

Kat continued reading further down, frowning when she came across 'requirements.'

If I got selected for this, there shouldn't be any requirements! Kat thought, folding it away under her arm as she unlocked and opened her front door.

The irritated and confused woman sat down at her small kitchen table and continued to read the rest of the letter.

'- Professional Animal Trainer

\- Individual must be available full-time '

Animal trainer? Full time? What the heck was this?! What made whoever sent this — this Pauling lady —think she would actually do it!

...but it did have good pay, Kat reasoned. As if! She just got some random message from a nobody offering her a decent job for full-time; and if she accepted she would have to get rid of her apartment as well!

Ugh. So complicated. But I should think about it. I'll pack just in case I decide to go, Kat relented.

After she finishes packing for the next morning, she shrugged off her clothes and slipped into her soft bed, eyes already drooping shut.

Well, she thought sleepily, I could always use the money, so maybe I can at least try it to see if it's okay...

Kat awoke slowly the next morning. After stretching her back and popping her stiff joints, she peered over at her clock. With a loud squawk, she fell over in a clumsy attempt to get up.

"I OVERSLEPT AND I DON'T EVEN HAVE THE JOB YET!" She yelped, hurriedly untangling herself from the sheets.

Once she finally accomplished separating her limbs from the blankets, Kat scrambled up and ripped open her clothes drawer.

"Oh my god," she groaned, picking up a foul-smelling garment. "I really need to do laundry soon!"

It took her a few minutes, but Kat had finally weaseled out a couple of clean clothes from her cabinet and threw them on her.

Grabbing the box she had packed previously, she gathered up her purse and keys and rushed out the door. The frantic woman turned around too quickly and rolled her ankle, and she swore loudly at the painful sensation.

Even with her now-throbbing ankle, Kat managed to hobble down the stairs as fast as she could and tossed her keys over to Mrs. Rosalin as she passed her.

"My dear, why are you in such a rush?" The older woman questioned, eyebrows quirking in confusion.

"I-just-got-invited-for-a-job-position-with-better-pay-than-what-I'm-getting-now-and-I-need-you-to-look-after-my-apartment-while-I'm-gone-please-and-thank-you!" She intoned rapidly as she sped over to the front entrance.

"Well, have fun my dear! And I'll take care of your place for as long as you need!" Rosalin called after her. As Kat stormed out, the elderly woman couldn't help herself and chuckled softly. "You younglings — so quick on your feet!"

Kat didn't know what to expect, but the woman from the letter — Miss Pauling — actually appearing was definitely not what she thought would happen.

She was a pretty woman of maybe about 35, with black, shoulder-length hair tied behind her in a low ponytail.

"Are you Ms. Katie Fendy?" She asked, waving her over impatiently.

"Uhm, yes, but I —"

"Perfect. We were just about to leave since you hadn't shown up." Pauling interrupted briskly. She pushed a thick strand of black hair behind her ear and turned around to the train.

"This train will take you to your new job. The trip itself will take approximately three hours, so you might want to catch some sleep during the ride over."

"Wait, stop, hold on," Kat physically froze in place. Miss Pauling cast an irritated glance back at her, urging her to speak. "You're not even gonna go some sort of interview or anything?"

"I told you what we needed, and as long as you fulfill that criteria, an interview is not needed." She replied stonily. "If you are lying to us or you need training, we will send you back and you will not get any payment. Simple as that." After finishing her statement, the monotone woman grabbed Kay's arm and shoved her into the train.

"Your new...associates...are at the back of the train," Pauling said, pointing. "I suggest you open their cages and at least play with them for a bit so they get to know you and you them."

Kat opened her mouth to ask one of the several questions on her mind, but Miss Pauling had already slammed the door shut and the train was slowly shambling forward.

"Okay. Thanks," Kat grumbled sarcastically. She set her box of items down on a seat and sat beside it.

After sitting quietly for a few awkward moments, Kat got up on her feet again and lurched over to the back of the train. She carefully approached the door and prodded it open cautiously. When the door was opened all the way, Kat walked into the small room. Two large, barred cages were strapped to the floor, secured by heavy clasps that were attached to the wall. Peering into the crates, two pairs of gleaming amber eyes greeted her, accompanied by a small snarl.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Oh, Hello

This chapter is a bit shorter than what I had originally planned for, but I hope to get the next chapter out very soon since school for me is almost done.

Enjoy!

—

"Ahhhh!"

The snarl, although quiet, was more than enough to frighten Kat. The woman stumbled backwards out of the room.

 _These are my associates?!_ Kat thought wildly. _But...they're animals!_

Sudden realization crossed her features.

"Oh." She said bluntly. "I'm supposed to train you." It hadn't occurred to her that if one of the requirements was to be able to train an animal, that she was probably going to train some animals.

Entering the closet-like room again, she crouched down in front of the creatures. Both were small, but one had softer features, like a kitten, while the other's coat was almost spiky.

They're both lynx and wolf pups! Kat thought. Their amber eyes watched her warily, and the young lynx had the face of an angry toddler.

Kat couldn't help herself and laughed loudly. The small animals curled into themselves, and Kat immediately felt a wave of sympathy flood through her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kat said quietly, "I didn't mean to frighten you." Looking at the cage doors, she quickly spotted the locks and laid her hands across the cool metal.

"I'm going to open this up slowly, okay?" She told them. "Alright, ready? One...two...three."

She carefully undid the locks and gently nudged the doors ajar. The wolf pup curiously stood up and approached the door, nosing it all the way open.

The kitten seemed more hesitant and waited for the wolf pup to come tumbling out before it cautiously stuck a tiny paw through the crack in the door.

Already occupied with the playful pup Kat was smiling brightly and scratched the young wolf's ears. It leaned into the attention, willingly sucking it up like a furry sponge.

The lynx hissed and swiped at the pup jealously, and the wolf snapped it the kitten in turn. The two started fighting each other when Kat grabbed both young animals by their scruffs and held them off the floor. The pup yipped and whined while the kitten squirmed uncomfortably.

"Hey!" Kat snapped sternly, "don't you two start fighting or I'm going to put you right back into that cage for the rest of the trip — and _neither_ of you will get scratches!"

Both animals bowed their heads, effectively cowed. Kat sighed. She forgot just how sensitive some of the younger animals could be.

"Hey, I'm sorry for yelling at you two, but if the three of us are working together, we need to learn that we can't just fight each other. Do you forgive me?" Kat cooed softly.

She set them down carefully, and the pup trotted up to the young woman and licked her hand. The lynx filled suit, but nuzzled her leg instead.

Kat tenderly gathered the two up and carried them with her over to where she had placed her box down. She sat down on the seat next to it and rubbed the pups' and kittens' ears. Both responded in earnest; the lynx purred contently and the wolf stuck his tongue out.

Yawning, Kat laid back and closed her eyes, drifting away to sleep. The young animals copied Kat from in her lap, both putting aside their grudge for each other to snuggle into their new friend's welcoming warmth.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: New Recruit

A/N: Just saying, there's going to be a lot of swearing in this chapter (specifically at the end)

As always, enjoy and review!

—

As the train halted to a stop and the horn blared out, its noise startled the sleeping pile within.

Kat rubbed her eyes while the lynx and wolf sat up attentively, ears pricked. She smiled sleepily and rubbed the pair's ears, cooing soothingly to them.

The train door slid open with a squeal, and Kat instinctively held on tighter to her furry bundles. When nothing happened, she released the breath she had been holding and stood up.

"So, I don't know if you're supposed to stay in you cages or not, but I suppose that since I'm probably going to be your new 'trainer,' you can come with. _But_ ," She said sharply, holding up a finger to their faces, "you aren't allowed to bite anybody and you must stay quiet. Sound like a deal?" Kat frowned. "Actually, come to think of it, I haven't even given you two names yet. What should we call you little guys?"

The wolf pup bounced over to the lynx kitten and charged into it. The kitten hissed and bit into the pup as it ran into it.

"Ah. I know," Kat muttered, "we'll call you, you little pain-in-the-ass, Jock, and you can be Snap because you like to bite Jock a lot." Jock and Snap gave their brawl a momentary pause to show their appreciation for the woman before returning to their playful swipes and nips.

Kat placed the pair on the top of her box and firmly pressed it to her chest. She approached the door, and, swallowing nervously, exited the train.

It was a desert. Everything. She didn't know where the train had taken her, but now she was in a dry, hot desert.

A short man wearing a hard hat came sprinting up to her.

"Ah'm sorry! Ah was kept up by those dirt-eatin' scoundrels!" He huffed and slowed down when he reached her, and he bent over for a moment. "Oh boy, ah gotta stop tryna' run 'round everywhere." He straightened and tipped his hat respectfully.

"Well, welcome to — wait a gosh darn minute!" He gawked at her. "You're a lady!" Kat shrugged.

"Yeeeeaaahhhhh?"

"What in tarnation are you doin' down here?! You _sure_ you have the right address?"

"Yes I'm sure!" Kat snapped. "Why wouldn't I be?" The short man seemed genuinely confused, so she decided to prod for an answer.

"Why?"

"Why what, darlin'?"

"Why is me being a girl such a bad thing?"

"Oh, now — ah didn' mean it like that, darlin'. 'S just, we don' have many ladies come out an' visit us."

"Oh?" Now it was Kay's turn to be confused. "Why would that be?"

"Well, ya see, our _profession_ isn't really that —"

"YO, HARDHAT! TELL THAT NUMBNUT MANIAC 'TA GET DA HELL AWAY FROM ME BEFORE I BAT ITS PRETTY 'LIL FACE OFF!"

"—likable." The man finished, casting the newcomer a withering glare. "Agh dag-nabbit. Ah'm sorry again, miss, but ah gotta take care 'o my _coworkers_. Ehm, _excuse_ me."

The squat man marched off to a lanky young man with a baseball bat and cap. A shorter...man? Woman? Kat couldn't tell. The person was in a red hazmat suit and was striding over to the young man, holding up a gigantic — flamethrower?!

"Pyro! What did ah I tell ya about tryna' set Scout on fire? That ain't polite!" Pyro glanced over at the squat Texan.

"Huddah hudd mmpf mrr!" It cried, pointing over at the slim youngster.

"Scout! Doggonit, ah told ya not 'ta throw your baseball every which way 'n that!"

"Yea, but 'e's tryna' set me on _fire_ , Engie! I didn' do nothin' to him!" Scout whined. Then he turned over and finally noticed you. "Oh hey, Sweetcheeks! Want some 'a this?" He asked, flexing his small biceps.

"Nah, I think I'm good. Besides, I don't like my meat that stringy, Stringbean." Scout scoffed, offended.

"Scout," The Texan man started.

"Stringbean?! Oh, I'll show you —!"

"SCOUT!" The young man stopped instantly. "Dagnabbit, Scout, ah will _demand_ Pyro to go 'n kick your ass if ya' don' cut it out now!" The Texan snarled, pointing threateningly at Pyro.

"Nah Engie, I'm good. But, guess I'll see ya around, huh Sweetcheeks?" Scout winked, and sprinted away when Engie swatted at him and shouted 'git!' after him. With everything settled down now again, Engie huffed.

"Ah'm sorry again, miss. Scout 's just an overgrown toddler." Kat chuckled at that. "'Llow me 'ta introduce myself; ah'm Dell. Ah'm jus' the Engineer, but ya can call me Engie too. This here is Pyro. He's our little fire-guy." He said, patting the pyromaniac on the arm. Pyro chirped happily and waved at Kat. She grinned and waved back to it. "Back there," He started, voice going low again, "was _Scout_. He's 'gotta loud mouth and grieves 'bout everythin,' but we 'haffta keep 'im."

"Why's that?" Kat asked.

"'Cause we ain't got no other replacement for that damned nuisance," Engie grumbled. Pyro and Kat both giggled. Jock and Snap poked out from behind the box she was carrying.

"Oh, I'm sorry little guys!" She said, placing her box down. She set the pup and kitten on top, and they immediately took up protective stances against the engineer and Pyro. "Whoa, hey, it's okay, they're friendly, you two!" Jock's ear twitched and Snap bared her small teeth.

"These two yours? My, their lookin' mahty frightening for a couple 'o whippershnappers," Engie commented playfully. Pyro reached out to pet them and Snap sprang forward, clawing and screeching at the poor firebug. But Pyro seemed unaffected, and clapped happily.

Snap returned to Jock's side, still looking like a fluff ball, and Kat scooped both of them up.

"Okay, since I can't trust you two to go five minutes without fighting," Kat laughed, "I'm just going to have to carry you. Would either of you mind carrying that for me? It's got all the junk that I need."

"Why, certainly!" The Engineer grinned, "Anythin' for a fine lady like yaself." The squat man picked it up easily and began trudging forward. "This way...what's ya name, darlin'? Don' think ah caught it."

"It's Kat."

"Well, this way, Kat." He said.

The engineer led her over to a large, wooden building. It appeared sort of rundown, with boards that were only half-on and rotted, but as they entered, it seemed to be much better taken care of inside rather than out.

The walls and floors were cemented, and they walked into a large room, a heavy table sitting in tinge middle. The table was currently being occupied by about four or five other men, and one of them, a black man with a patch over one of his eyes, pointed at them.

"Aye!" He called out. "Whot're you doin' here?"

"This is the new 'ddition to the team, Demo. This is Kat. Kat, that is Demo."

"Hallo Madchën!" Another man exclaimed in German. "Wie geht es dir mein Freundin?"

"Agh, gut, danke." Kat replied. The German seemed startled.

"Sprechst du Deutsch?" He asked.

"Ja, aber ein bisschen," She said.

"Whot are ya bloody wankers tolkin' about?" A tall, slender Australian asked.

"Sie sprechten Deutsch!" The German cried out, clapping his hands together like a four-year old at a candy shop.

"Say, ya know some German, Kat?" Dell asked. She grinned.

"Yeah. Just a little bit, though."

"How, lass?" The cyclops questioned.

"My mother was born in Munich, so I learned bits and pieces from her. I also studied some at school," she added.

"Ich bin sehr glücklich jetzt!"

"Dokter, stop speaking in mother tongue. That ees rude." A massive man bellowed, prodding the delighted German.

"Ah, es tut mir leid —"

"STOP SPEAKIN' BLOODY GERMAN YA MONGREL!" Snarled the Australian.

"Dude, chill, he was just saying sorry,"

Kat explained disapprovingly.

"YEA? WELL 'E 'COULDA SAID IT IN BLOODY ENGLISH!" Sniper retorted.

"Snipah, stahp yellin' so loud or you'll turn inta' Soldier," Dell growled.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT ME, MAGGOTS?!" Screamed another man, an oversized helmet swinging around on his head. "IF ANY OF YOU MISERABLE LADIES JUST CAN'T HANDLE MY AMERICAN PATRIOTISM — oh hello."

"Seriously? Miserable ladies?" Kat said. "That's the worse insult you got?"

"Well, no, but —"

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR GODDAMN OPINION YOU FUCKIN OVERSIZED DICK-SUCKING, PUSSY-EATING WEASEL! GO BACK HOME AND SUCK ON YO MAMA'S TIT YOU GIGANTIC ASSHAT!"

Soldier, for once, was left speechless, and the rest of the team burst out laughing.

"OY, LASS! YA DUNNO WHOT YOU JUST DID!" Demo cried out, laughing so hard he was wheezing. The others were also enjoying the sight of this young woman telling Soldier off completely.

"Heavy approves of leetle baby-girl." Heavy declared.

"Ja! Ich auch!"

Kat looked around at all these smiling faces (Soldier included) and grinned to herself.

 _I think I'm going to like it here,_ she thought.


End file.
